[josh] on this episode of expedition x...
-Oh, big splash up ahead. -What?
[josh] my team embarks on a journey into the wild peruvian amazon.
Holy [bleep] we got a venomous snake here.
[josh] on the hunt for a legend of monstrous proportions.
Probably 30 meters.
That's 90 feet.
Huge, like this.
[josh] but witnesses say this super-sized beast is not only real,
It's on the attack.
How long would I have before it squeezed me to death?
-30 seconds. -Ah, [bleep]
While your heart is still beating, they swallow you slowly.
[josh] phil and jess hunt for clues...
[phil] oh [bleep] we got eye shine.
-Swim up, grab you and drag you under. -[phil] yeah.
[josh] deep in the territor of the jungle's deadliest creatures.
[jess] what, he just got bit? Oh, my god. You're bleeding.
[phil] that is the most painful sting in the amazon.
That is what I call an ambush predator.
-[jess] holy [bleep] -[snake hissing]
[josh reading]
My name is josh gates.
In my travels, I've experienced strange things that defy log
And made me question everything.
Oh, my god.
Now I've put together a tea to investigate the stranger side of the unknown.
Let's go.
[josh] phil torres is a scientist who hunts for rational explanations.
[phil speaking]
[josh] jessica chobot's paranormal research has made her a true believer
If you're here with us, knock again.
[josh] together we're searching for answers...
[phil] what is happening here, jess?
[josh] ...To the world's most extraordinary mysteries
This is expedition x.
Jess, phil, for your next investigation
I am sending you to what is without a doubt
The wildest place in the world.
We're going to vegas, baby!
-Different kind of wild. -[groans]
Phil, you're familiar with the amazon rainforest?
-Oh, no. -Oh, yes.
Oh, man. I can feel the insect bites now.
I spent the last ten years working on conservation research projects down there.
And you're right. It is wild.
Huge areas of it haven't been properly mapped yet.
There's new species being found all the time. Let's go!
What gets me excited to go to the amazon is it's known as the birthplace
To so many amazing legendary creatures.
To that end, locals in the peruvian part of the amazon claim
That there is a creature living deep in the rainforest
That has not been identified by science.
They say it's huge and it's on a rampage.
The amazon river basin spreads across eight south american countries
And covers over two million square miles.
An area nearly the size of australia.
In parts of the amazon, the tree canopy is so think
That only 1% of sunlight penetrates to the forest floor.
And below that dark canopy live some of the world's most dangerous animals.
Poisonous frogs, venomous giant centipedes,
Deadly vipers like the fer-de-lance.
And in the river, electric eels that can generate 800 volts,
Enough to stun and potentially kill a human
Not to mention schools of deadly piranhas.
And those are just the creatures we know about
The rainforest is always revealing new, unclassified wildlife.
[shouting]
[josh] early 1500s.
When the spanish invade peru the indigenous tribes tell terrifying stories
Of a powerful, predatory serpent.
It's said to be 100 feet lon with a large, triangular hea
Fiery dark orange stripes, glowing eyes
And menacing fangs.
The locals call the beast yacumama or water mother.
She stalks the forest, bringing rain, thunder and lightning
And sucking up any creature that comes within 100 paces
1906, famed british explore colonel percy fawcett mount an unprecedented expedition
To map the amazon.
Fawcett documents encounter with strange beasts,
Including huge snakes.
Savage ape men called marico
And spiders the size of dinner plates.
And perhaps most notably, a monstrous serpent.
Many of fawcett's contemporaries don't believ his wild claims.
But the reports of a giant reptilian river predator persist for nearly a century
August, 1997.
In the village of nueva tacn
A few miles from the amazoni port of iquitos,
Locals report hearing a loud rumbling coming from the jungle
Just before something massive emerges,
Uprooting trees and leaving a trail of destruction on its way to the river.
As it drops into the water, the resulting whirlpool is said
To have taken down several nearby fishing boats
2009, in two separate incidents on the outskirts of iquitos
Witnesses report a massive black serpent
With eyes resembling boat lights
Wreaking havoc, destroying homes and vegetation.
Now, those reports of a large monster lurking in and near the rive
Are surfacing again.
Locals say their livestock is being snatched at night and dragged into the water.
A mystery beast is stalking peruvian villages along the amazon.
And some are saying yacumama is back.
So what about you? Did you run into any yacumamas
When you were down in the amazon?
I did not see any yacumama.
-But you've heard of this story? -Yes.
They really treat this legend with a lot of respect.
But I can't really imagine what could be
Destroying people's homes or sinking boats.
Snatching livestock, sure. There are some absolutely massive reptiles,
Like the black caiman that are known to eat deer.
Yeah, but you said yourself that the amazon is home
To countless undiscovered species.
So why not a gigantic serpent?
Why not? And so, your mission, amazon explorers, is to get down to peru
And talk to locals along the river.
See if you can figure out what's terrorizing these people.
Could there be some sort of unidentified massive serpent?
Or phil, can you come up with another explanation
For what these witnesses are claiming?
So we're going on a jungle cruise!
Ooh, does that make me the rock?
-No, you're still the nerdy scientist, phil. -Fine.
-Good luck, guys. -Thanks.
[josh] phil and jess fly more than 3,600 miles from new york to lima, peru
From there, it's another 630 miles on a flight to iquitos.
A city accessible only by air or water.
This is the gateway to the amazon,
Where deadly creatures both big and small lurk at every turn.
-So, you've been to peru before, yeah? -Yes.
I've worked in peru for years,
But I have never been to the amazon river.
I've been to nearly every tributary of it,
But the fact that I get to go see the amazon river itself.
-I am so stoked. -[jess] that's cool.
[josh] founded in 1864, iquitos became an major por
For the rubber boom of the late 19th century.
Today, this isolated city is home to almost half a million residents,
And what seems like a similar number of moto taxis.
[phil] ooh, look at all this traffic.
[jess] we head to masusa por where we've arranged to mee two local fishermen
Who've had encounters with mysterious beasts in the amazon.
Roner and alejandro have lived here all their lives.
I asked phil to have them tell us their stories
About what they saw in the river.
[speaking spanish]
[roner] these are more than just stories. These are our true testimonials.
I went fishing up river and saw a bunch of snakes,
But then I saw something els along the water in the distance
That was much more massive and aggressive.
It looked like nothing I'd ever seen before.
Dark orange stripes on its face with big, shining eyes.
It was huge. The whole ground was moving.
[phil] and when I ask him about how big he thought the creature was
The answer is, well, astounding.
[roner] probably 30 meters and it looked about this thick.
He says it was that round and he thinks it was about 30 meters.
So that's... That's 60... No, that's 90 feet.
Alejandro backs up roner's size estimation,
Because he too claims he had an encounter with a similar looking beas
While out fishing on the river.
[alejandro] my father had a gun and was going to shoot it.
But I told him that would be a waste of a bullet
Because the thing was just so big.
[phil] I asked him if it's possible they saw a large snake.
Green anacondas around here can typically grow to about 18 or 20 feet.
[roner] we're fishermen. We've seen every type of snake in the amazon.
This was something different.
This was yacumama.
[both] yacumama.
[roner] we've heard that she has also been seen by indigenous villagers
In the swamp areas farther south.
But we both saw her just off the main river
In a section between 30 to 50 kilometers from the city.
Alright, let's start there.
-[phil] gracias. -[jess] bye.
-[phil] is the boat down there? -[jess] yep.
[phil] hola.
[jess] we quickly load up our gear
And plot our course roughly 20 miles upriver.
[phil] listos.
[jess] to a tributary off the amazon
Where our witnesses had their encounters
With what they believe was yacumama.
We got some hours on this river, jess. You ready?
-I'm ready. -Alright. Let's do it.
[phil] the amazon rainfores is the most biodiverse place on the planet.
You'll find 10% of all known species here.
Not to mention the countles species yet to be catalogued
Out here, you have to watch every step
Because a lot of those anima are downright deadly
With their ability to strike inject venom, constrict,
Electrify and carry lethal diseases.
The amazon river is home to 3,000 species of fish
And nearly 400 species of reptiles.
And if you believe jess, one unidentified queen of the jungle.
[jess] yacumama isn't the on legendary beast in this rive
Tales vary and some of them are dark,
But the boto is said to be a dolphin that shapeshifts into a seductive man.
Like many legends, there is some truth behind the tale.
The amazon's murky waters are home to a rare,
Sometimes aggressive species of pink river dolphi
So while we're here, I'm keeping my eyes peeled
For any shapeshifting shenanigans.
-[water splashes] -ooh.
-Big splash up ahead. -What? Ooh.
[phil] after hours in the boat, we approach the remote tributary
Where the fishermen had their disturbing sightings.
And we're already seeing encouraging signs
That something big could be lurking in these waters.
Just right here. Tracks, tracks.
-All over that bank actually. Look at that. -Yeah, there's a lot.
[phil] it's capybara?
I believe our witnesses did run into something enormous out here.
Something they insist was not a snake.
But there are plenty of othe real world beasts to fear in this jungle.
Black caimans are the apex predators of these parts.
The largest of the alligator family,
These stealthy, ruthless, nocturnal carnivores can grow to 15 feet.
With their powerful jaws, they'll attack anything
That wanders into their territory.
And yeah, that includes humans.
Mammal tracks on the river bank tell me there's plenty of food here
To support a whole populatio of very big caimans.
Can we pull over right here?
I'm thinking this could be a good spot to set up a camera trap.
[jess] oh, that's a good idea.
[phil] with miles of river and jungle to cover,
We need to be strategic in the placement of our 25 cameras.
But we're also chasing daylight,
So we got to get some extra eyes up in a hurr
This is a nice little natural archway.
With really, really sharp spines,
So I'm not gonna put it on this tree.
I'll put it right here.
Holy [bleep]
This is no joke one of the biggest vipers I've ever seen in the amazon.
It's right in the crook of this tree. A big one.
We've got a venomous snake here.
-Alright, use the light. Use the light, jess. -Let me see. Let me see.
-Here, let me get over here by you. -[bleep]
-[phil] oh my god. -[jess] oh, yeah.
Look at that beauty.
-Do you know what kind that is? -[bleep]
Not sure from here. It could be a fer-de-lance. Looks like bothrops.
-There's a few species of them around, but wow. -[snake hisses]
-That is what I call an ambush predator. -Good thing you looked.
Just sits and waits in a little crook of a tree like that.
The fer-de-lance is the mos dangerous snake in south america.
Upon attack, this pit viper releases a necrotizing veno
That's painful and often deadly.
This is like, 20 steps into the amazon rainforest
And we just found that.
-Something to murder us. -Is that a good omen or a bad omen?
-Uh, yes. -I think it's a good omen.
-Sh... Yes. -Just don't get bit.
Oh, and that's a bull ant.
-See that big ant right there? Crawling up the side? -No. Yes.
-So that is the most painful sting in the amazon. -Great.
[phil] essentially lesson learned.
No one ever lean on trees or step at the roots of them.
Alright, can you please just pick a tree to put that game cam on
-So we can get out of here? -Yeah.
Yeah, why do you want to leave here, jess?
Oh gee. I don't know. 'cause everything's trying to kill me?
-It's the most magical place on the planet. -Mmm-hmm.
[jess] suddenly the 90-foot beast I'm after isn't as intimidating
As all the other things crawling around me.
But I have to stay focused.
To prove yacumama is out her
I first need photographic proof.
-Ooh, do you know what we should do? -Hmm?
Point the camera at the snake...
-Yeah. -...So we can not only catch anything passing through here,
But we can catch if it eats anything.
-Okay, that is actually pretty cool. Alright. -Right?
[jess] so we're setting up a series of 25 cameras
Along what locals say has be her most recent path.
Our witnesses gave us a roughly 12 and a half mile range to cover
Between their sightings.
The plan is to position our cameras on alternating sides of the river
And retrieve them at the en of our investigation.
There's my foot.
I'm hoping yacumama is still in the area.
And if you believe the legen
She's about to make an appearance.
[thunder rumbling]
-Did you hear that thunder? -Yeah.
[jess] legends say that yacumama is more than just a jungle beast.
She is a protective spirit of the amazon
With the power to control the weather and other animal
Alright, alright.
Set, sleep.
[distant birds squawking]
[whispers] what the [bleep]
[phil] it does sound like some very upset parrots.
[jess] I wonder if the parro going crazy is some kind of warning call.
Between that and the thunde that stories say precedes a yacumama appearance,
I'm feeling like she can't be far away.
[phil] based on our witness testimony,
We're looking for something roughly 90 feet long,
Which for a reptile is simpl off the charts.
The largest snake around her is the green anaconda
And the biggest one of thos on record was 28 feet long and 44 inches around.
Some anacondas have yellowish-orange facial markings,
But I've never heard of one with the dark, fiery marking
Said to be on yacumama.
So maybe there is a subspeci of anaconda down here
Yet to be identified by science.
Jess, we got a tributary right here.
-[jess] perfect. -[phil] alright, going in.
So jess, this is where we have a really good chance
Of seeing something like a jaguar or a tapir.
A lot of those really rare, big mammals because...
-[jess] there. -Oh!
Can we see if we can hit this right side?
[speaking spanish]
[dramatic music playing]
-[jess] wait, wait, wait. -[phil] woah, what?
[jess] something's moving over there.
[dramatic music swelling]
Damn, what's here? Light it up.
You see it?
-Tracks? We got tracks? -[phil] we got big tracks.
I'm not sure what jess saw, but there are definite sign
Of lots of mammal traffic through here.
-[jess] oh, that totally looks like capybara? -[phil] yeah.
These are some big ones. These could be 50, 60 pounds.
Capybaras are the world's largest rodents.
They're semi-aquatic mammal living in high numbers
In the forests near the amazon,
Putting them at the top of the menu for hungry caima and other big reptiles.
And where there's prey, predators usually aren't far behind.
Let's, uh, try to find a spot over here just in case we get
-Any animals passing through here. -[jess sighs] okay.
Phil and I continue positioning our cameras along the river,
Keeping our eyes and ears op for anything that might be lurking in the dark.
[phil] I want to find a good solid log and maybe a little trail going in.
Careful, jess. Don't stray too far.
[exhales] alright, right here. I think this is the one.
-That one? -Jess, how does this look from where you are?
-Looks fine for me. -Okay.
Right now I'm setting up a camera pointed basically all along the shore here.
So if anything comes from the forest to there
Or walks along the stream,
Hopefully we'll have an image of it.
Get a sense of what's living around here.
Just insanely dense rainforest in here.
[exhales]
Oh, we got a snake.
Look at this thing.
Wow.
So it may be a coral snake,
But by the fact that it's climbing in the tree
And most coral snakes you generally find on the ground,
I don't think it is.
I think that warning coloration is false coloration.
If it were a coral snake and you get bit, you die pretty quick.
This one I'm fairly certain it is non-venomous.
Oh, wow. Look at that.
Ow. Hey there, little guy.
He's nice. Oh!
-[jess] oh. -Oh, he's moving.
-Where'd he go? Inside there? -[jess] I have no idea.
You would think you'd be able to find
A super bright, candy cane colored snake out here,
But nope. Just disappeared.
So since every witness has seen it both on land and in water,
I like that idea of putting one facing the water
And some fish in the water.
Let's maybe try to get this side of the river.
-Alright, how solid is this? -That's good.
Pretty solid.
[jess] alejandro and roner said they were fishing when they saw yacumama.
So we're gonna try to chum this monster out of hiding.
I'm hoping she won't be abl to resist the funky... I mean, tasty smell
Of these dead fish I bought back in iquitos.
A perfect nighttime snack.
Alright. Ugh, that stinks.
Honestly, we're just trying to get a sense of what this habitat is like.
What species live around here.
And obviously if something big,
Really big comes through to take that fish.
[jess] with the camera trap all set, we'll stay at the river's edge
And break out the thermal ca to help us see in the dark.
Even a coldblooded animal will retain heat from the da
And register on this sensiti piece of equipment.
[phil] it looks like we're in business.
-Ooh, look at those bats. This place is covered in bats. -[jess] yeah.
[phil] that's wild.
-[bats squeaking] -[jess] that's one word for it. Wildlife everywhere.
No, wait, wait, wait.
-Oh yeah. There's movement under the water. Look. -[phil] where?
-Yeah, right there. I see it. -[jess] right over there.
See it pops up every once in a while?
[phil] that's not one of the bats just rippling the water?
[jess] no, no. It's coming up from the bottom.
[phil] that's not one of the bats just rippling the water?
[jess] no, no. It's coming up from the bottom.
-[both exclaim] -[jess] what's that?
-[phil] that's a caiman. -[jess] no way.
-[phil] a little baby. Look at him. Wow. -[jess] oh, you're right.
-[phil] you know what I'm gonna try to do? -[jess] what?
-Should I call in, see if its mom responds? -Okay.
[imitating caiman chirps]
[phil] animal calls aren't exactly my specialty
But I have been successful with this one in the past.
Seeing this little guy also makes me wonder
If what the witnesses saw he could have been a group of caiman swimming together
That, in the water, look lik one monster creature.
[continues chirping]
[whispers] I don't think he's convinced.
You would definitely expect momma to be close.
[jess] I wonder if momma's over by our fish.
[phil] ooh, that's a good question.
[jess] oh, yeah. Here. Okay, we got one.
I don't see the ones in the water anymore.
[phil] and hopefully, the scent of that fish washed downstream.
-[jess] uh-huh. -[phil] so that if anything comes upstream,
-We'll get it on camera. -Perfect.
Having these cameras set up is probably the best thing we can do right now
Because they are gonna be here all night
Recording anything that comes through here.
A lot of things out here are nocturnal.
[jess] yacumama has been see both day and night.
Our bases should be covered because our camera traps we've set up
Can spot motion up to 20 feet away
In daylight and total darkness.
[jess] with our cameras set to catch yacumama
Where she was reported by the fishermen,
The next morning phil wants to keep heading south
Where the fishermen said there were other yacumama sightings.
And where the wildlife populations are even more concentrated.
But that would take us into restricted indigenous territory.
We got a text on our set phone from josh asking us to call him.
So we're going to see if he can help us get access
The set phone works by beami radio signals to and from satellites orbiting earth.
No cell service required.
Josh, you there?
Hey, guys. How's peru treating you?
It is so nice to be back.
We've seen so many things that can kill you or seriously maim you.
-It's amazing. -Yeah, I'm having a great time.
-[laughs] -I'm sure you are, jess.
So, is percy fawcett full of it
Or did you find a giant serpent in the amazon?
[phil] I think we're getting close.
We are definitely in the right habitat.
Yeah. Things are looking good.
[phil] but I know the deepe we go in the jungle,
The more likely we are to find wildlife that's more elusive.
We just need some help from you getting access to those areas
Because they are off limits to outsiders.
[jess] I mean, to me that means a better chance to find something unknown.
[josh] okay, well I may hav some good news for you in terms of access.
I've been doing some research on my end
And I got linked up with a local guide down there named juan carlos.
He goes by jc.
This guy's a former peruvia army commando,
So you know this dude is legit.
And he is super well connected down there.
Not only that, he says that the yacumama is 100% real
Because he claims to have seen it for himself.
And he says he knows where you can find it.
Perfect!
Okay, I'll arrange a meeting and I'll send you the coordinates.
[phil] sweet!
-Can't wait to meet him. -[josh] all right, be safe.
-[phil] all right, josh. -[jessica] bye, josh.
-[josh] bye. -[phil] thanks.
[phil] with our cameras in place and recording, we cover more ground up-rive
After about two hours, we reach the remote outpost of nauta.
We're meeting josh's contac juan carlos palomino.
Jc has spent nearly two decades leading explorer and researchers
Into the amazon to track all manner of wildlife.
My kind of guy.
Welcome to the middle of nowhere!
-[phil] welcome aboard. -[jc] yeah, okay, okay, okay!
-[jessica] got it? -[jc] yeah.
[jessica] jc says he was guiding a group through the jungle
When he had a terrifying encounter with yacumama.
Right near an oxbow lake.
Named for its shape, an oxbow lake is when a bend in the river
Is cut off from the main channel.
It creates a calm water habitat that attracts more wildlife,
Which I'm hoping includes an unidentified, super-sized serpent.
The lake is in an area calle renecal, about 80 miles away
That's pretty far from the fishermen's recent sightings,
So it makes me wonder if there might be more than one yacumama.
My question is, what are people actually seeing?
Not, like, inhabited.
Typically, if you see a big head in the water here,
You're gonna think, that's a black caiman.
Or... Or a big turtle.
-[phil] okay. -Especially if you are far away.
-[phil] mmm-hmm. -[jc] but, it was close enough, like, to see...
Maybe...
...There could be some kind of subspecies out here that hasn't been documented.
Okay.
[jessica] on our way to renecal,
We stop at a small village along the river
To pick up jc's snake-huntin buddy edwin, aka monkey.
Given the size of the yacumama, the more bodies, the better
Out of curiosity, if yacumama came after me and managed to get me,
How long would I have before it squeezed me to death?
It will squeeze you in less than 30 seconds.
-Ah, [bleep]. -Once it bites...
-Wraps you up... -That's it.
[phil] and you pass out.
-Whoo! That's a bummer. -[jc] so, they...
So your only option would be to break the eyes.
-Break the eyes? -[jc] break the eyes.
-[jessica] yeah. -That's the only way to survive.
[jc] it's over there.
-That's where we're stopping. -[jessica] perfect.
[phil] okay. Okay, jess. Time to lose sunlight?
-[jessica] mmm-hmm. -[phil] and then...
-[jessica] are you ready? -[phil] so ready.
[phil] we arrive at the renecal shore just before sundown.
And as we prepare for the hour-long hike to the inland lake
Where jc says he saw yacumam
He warns the team about everything else to watch out for,
Which pretty much spans every color of the rainbow.
[jc] if you see...
...Yellow, bright eyes on the trees,
Boa constrictors.
If you see blue eyes, tarantulas.
If you see bright, orange eyes...
...Anacondas.
-[jc] okay. -[phil] let's find it.
[jc] all right. Vamonos.
[phil] check it out. This is the lake.
[jessica] doesn't even look like a lake. It looks like a field.
[jc] watch out. It's really muddy, yeah?
-[jessica] yeah. -[phil] whoa.
Look at that. So in that water...
...There could be...
...Anacondas, maybe even yacumama herself.
[jessica] swim up, grab you, and drag you under.
[phil] yeah, you can see, this is the perfect place for ambush predator.
-[phil] just use a little splashing. -[jessica] yeah.
[phil] and hoo! Takes you right in.
[jessica] do you see any eye shine?
-[phil whispering] nothing. -[jessica] mmm, okay.
Ooh, wait a minute.
[phil] we got eye shine, we got eye shine.
Oh, yeah.
[jessica gasping loudly]
[phil] we got eye shine. We got eye shine.
[phil whispering] oh, yeah.
[jessica gasping loudly]
[phil] wow, oh, it's moving. It is moving.
Jc, what would that be?
[jc] yeah, it's a caiman.
[phil] oh, wow! Just look to the right!
-[jessica] yeah. -[phil] ooh!
-[jessica] yeah, I totally see it. -[phil] there's probably...
...Five, six.
-[phil] oh, oh it's not... -[jc] you found more?
[phil] oh, yeah.
[jc] aw, man. Yeah, you actually found a bunch of that.
-[phil quietly] I wanna try to use the flir. -[jessica] okay.
What does it look like?
[phil] ooh, we're gettin' hits.
[jessica] can you tell how big it is?
[phil whispering] I cannot tell.
But there's multiple small ones around it,
So that could be a big caiman and smaller caiman.
Are you picking up any anacondas?
[sighing] it's really hard to tell.
Nothing that screams anaconda to me.
But definitely a lot more activity in this lake
Than we can see with the naked eye.
I'll tell you that.
-[phil] all right, I'mma back up. -[jessica] okay.
[phil] so, we're gonna go along the side of the lagoon here.
[jc] yeah, yeah. We're gonna go on the side then go up to the high ground.
[jc] watch your step.
[jessica] jc takes us to the very spot
Where he had his encounter with yacumama.
This whole area is teeming with deadly wildlife,
So jc sends monkey to scout the trail ahead of us.
[jessica] aw, [bleep]!
[phil] what you got?
[jc speaking]
[jessica] oh, my god!
-[phil] smoky jungle frog? -[jc] yes.
Those are edible, actually. In the community, we eat them.
-[phil] you eat it? -[jc] the legs taste like chicken.
[jessica] frog legs.
[phil] oh [bleep], look at this guy.
-Hi, bud! -[jessica] oh, my god!
[phil] look how big he is!
Wow, you can kind of tickle his chin a little bit. Hey, buddy.
[jessica] can't believe he's just sitting there.
-Like, he doesn't care. -[phil] he's just sitting.
Okay. Bye, toad.
-Do you see those big glands back there? -[jessica] yeah.
[phil] they're called the parotid glands and they're full of poison,
So that's why he's not too defensive.
Aw, you guys gotta look at this.
[jessica] check out these leaf-cutters.
[phil] jess, welcome to the hardest working creatures in the amazon.
They can take leaves from 150 feet up in a tree,
Cut 'em, carry 'em all the way down,
Drag 'em hundreds of feet across the forest.
Jess, it's crazy to think that during the rainy season,
This entire area we're walking is underwater.
[jessica] uh, what's really crazy is that mr. Wizard
Is geeking out over ants and toads,
When we might be closing in on a monster.
[jc] this is a tapir footprint.
-[phil] tapir footprint? Where, where, where? -[jc] yup.
-Over here. -[jessica] what's that?
[jc] all this. It's a big 250 kilo animal with a long snout.
[jc speaking]
[phil] can you do a tapir call?
[jc] they actually whistle...
[phil] yeah, can you do the whistle?
[jc] ...Like a sloth.
[whistling]
[phil] yeah, that sounds exactly like it,
-Which is absolutely crazy. -[jc] that's...
[phil] and that means you just made the call of, potentially, yacumama's prey.
[jc speaking]
[jessica] okay.
They got a whole bunch of stuff in this area.
[phil] hey, guys, these are really bad ants.
Do not touch these ants. These will hurt.
[jc] yeah, listen to phil.
[phil] these are all cecoprian.
They're protected by this azteca ant.
So if you touch the tree, you'll get stung.
And we're in a forest. Fantastic.
[jessica] oh, my god! You're bleeding!
Monkey, are you okay?
[jc speaking]
[jc] monkey found an anaconda nest.
So he got a bite.
-[jessica] wait, what? He just got bit? -[phil] what?
[phil] holy [bleep].
Wait, what kind of snake are we talking about right now?
[jc] this the anaconda.
-Yeah. -[phil whispering] we got an anaconda.
[phil] anacondas do their killing through constricting.
Their bites are not venomous but that doesn't mean they don't hurt like hell.
[jc speaking in spanish]
Yeah, okay.
[phil] jc grabs a piece of vine to treat monkey's bite.
It's used by natives here because of its potent pain-killing properties.
There's also a natural antibiotic in the sap.
[jc] you're a bastard, crazy!
Keep an eye open, okay?
-Keep an eye open. -[jessica] okay.
[phil] I'm just gonna see if this snake's still here.
[jc] it's there, it's there!
-[jc repeating] it's there! -[monkey repeating] it's here!
-[jc repeating] come on! -[phil] okay wait, hold on!
[jc] it's over there, it's over there!
-[jc] hurry up, hurry up! -[phil] whoa, whoa, whoa!
Are you okay?
-[jessica] phil, he's fine, he's fine. -[jc] yes, yes, yes.
He's fine, he's fine, it's here.
[phil] okay.
Where is he, where is he, where is he?
[monkey repeating] there, there, there...
[jc] if it's that aggressive, be careful.
Phil, don't get too close.
-[jessica] phil, do you see it? -[phil] I don't see it.
[jc] do you still see it?
-It was there. -[jessica] underneath these dead trees?
-[phil] yeah, you can see it. Just right here? -[jessica] yeah.
-I mean, I can see where he's talking. -[phil] huh?
Look at the size of this snakeskin.
Look at that!
Look at that.
[whispering] oh, my god.
[phil] this is just a piece of shed skin.
But it looks like it came from something that could b at least a foot wide.
I think we're gonna have really good genetic material here.
[jessica] I just wish we got a look at its face
To see if it had the dark orange markings of yacumama.
[phil] oh, yeah. All of this snakeskin.
Look at that. Are you kidding me? [bleep].
Look at all that skin!
This snake must've been so huge.
[phil] it's possible what people are calling yacumama
Is actually an unknown subspecies of anaconda.
Not a thunder-wielding monster, but a very big snak
One not officially documented by science.
I just... I'm gonna get the kit out,
Because that skin could hold the key...
...To this whole thing.
[phil] we'll compare this dna sample, and any others we collect,
To that of known anaconda dn
Then we'll know if we found something unique.
[jessica] got it?
[phil whispering] all right.
[whispering] wow.
It's beautiful.
This is venomous snake territory.
So just watch... Basically everything we touch.
[jessica loudly] oh, holy [bleep]!
-[jc] oh, mama! -[phil] snake, snake!
-[jc] go, go, go! -[phil] we're goin'!
[jessica] oh, my god!
Peru isn't the only place in the world being terrorized by giant snakes.
There's also oversized serpents in florida.
Scientists estimate that the everglades are home to nearly 300,000 snakes
That should be living in southeast asia.
It's believed burmese python were introduced in the 80s,
When people released their pet constrictors into the wild.
They multiplied rapidly, and are now consuming food sources
For native predators and wreaking havoc on the swamp's ecosystem.
Authorities are so desperat to curb the python populatio
They're paying by the foot.
Anyone who catches a python can collect 50 bucks for the first four feet,
And $25 for each additional foot.
Not bad, considering burmese pythons can grow up to 25 feet.
There's also an annual 10-day python challenge,
With a grand prize of ten grand for whoever removes the most pythons.
I'm already training for next year.
[jessica] oh, holy [bleep]!
[phil] snake, snake!
Holy [bleep]!
-[jessica] careful! Oh, her head's turning! -[phil] holy [bleep]!
[jc] careful. That's a real big one.
[phil] ready? Ready? I got it, I got it.
[jessica] oh, my god!
[snake hissing]
-[jessica] whoo! -[jc] okay, okay. Watch out, watch out! Hold the head!
-[jc] watch out, watch out! Need help with the tail? -[jess stammering]
-[jessica] jc, help him! -[jc] yeah, with the tail!
-[phil] we got it, we got. -[jc] don't release the head!
[jc] don't release the head!
-[phil] I got it, I got it. -[snake hissing]
[phil] check the face.
-[phil grunting] -[jessica] oh, black markings!
-Mask... -[phil] do we have the red on the side?
[jc] I'm seeing orange. I'm seeing orange!
[jessica] uh, yeah, I'm seeing orange! Orange on the side!
-[jc] okay. -[snake hissing]
-[jessica] yup. All right, let me get your bags. -[jc] whoa, whoa, whoa!
[phil] come on. It's okay. It's okay.
-[jessica] you okay, phil? -[phil] I got it, I got it.
[jessica] okay.
[phil] that, my friends, is a mouthful of teeth.
[phil whispering] wow.
We finally found ourselves an anaconda
With the specific markings associated with the yacumama.
So, I've got my shin over its body.
I'm not putting too much pressure on it right now.
[snake hissing]
Just trying to get it to calm down so we can get a dna sample,
And try to figure out if this is a specific subspecies
Unique to this area that maybe gets huge.
There we go. It's calmin' down. It's calmin' down.
[quietly] it's okay.
It's okay.
Look for loose scales.
[jessica] no?
[jc speaking]
[jessica] ugh.
[phil] well, hang on. I might have some scar tissue right here.
Right here, right here, right here.
[jc speaking]
[jessica] okay, will these work? How about this?
-[phil] yeah, yeah. -[jessica] watch your fingers.
Yeah, it's small, but it's a piece. Hold on.
It's small, but it'll do jess.
[jessica breathing heavily]
[jessica] all right. I got it.
[phil] okay.
Wow.
I'm gonna back off the head real quick.
[jessica] all right, which direction do we run?
Uh, I say everybody back up this way.
-[jessica] okay. -[phil] yeah.
[jc] okay. Ready.
-[phil] one, two, three. -[jessica] go!
Go, go, go!
[snake hissing]
-[phil] okay! -[jessica] nice.
[phil] jess, come on.
-Drop that machete and give me a high-five. -[jessica sighing in relief]
[phil] wow. That is beautiful.
All right, how long do you think? Now that we can see it.
Close to five meters.
[phil] so it's, like, 15 feet?
[jessica] could be a baby yacumama.
-But hey, keep growing. -[jessica] nice.
-All right, back to the river? -[phil] back to the river.
[jessica] let's go.
[josh] my team came to the peruvian amazon
To investigate reports of a legendary monster.
[man] it looked like nothin I've ever seen before,
With big, shining eyes.
It was huge!
[josh] what phil and jess found is that behind the legend...
[phil] we got eye shine, we got eye shine.
[josh] ...There could be a grain of truth.
After collecting the trap cameras and reviewing the images,
It turns out they got plenty of shots of prey,
But the predator that took jess's bait remained elusive
Based on what we've heard about the mythical yacumama's markings,
The snake that phil so expertly subdued,
Looked like it could be a 15-foot juvenile version of the amazon legend.
-[jc] don't release the head! -[phil] I got it, I got it.
[josh] dna analysis on the skin sample that jess collected,
Came back as a match for anaconda.
Though it did not identify a subspecies.
But the dna from that snake did not match the shed skin samples
That phil collected earlier in the night.
Meaning, that came from a completely different snake
And the size of that skin suggests to phil,
Something much bigger than 15 feet.
[phil quietly] it's enormous.
Let's find it.
[josh] I have to say, I'm impressed with the way
My team braved the dangers of the jungle.
[phil] this is venomous snake territory.
[bleep]. This is, no joke, one of the biggest vipers
I've ever seen in the amazon.
Why do you wanna leave here, jess?
Oh, gee, I don't know. Cause everything's trying to kill me?
It's the most magical place on the planet.
[jessica] mmm-hmm.
[jessica repeating] wait. Wait, wait, wait...
-[phil] what? -[jessica] something's moving. Over there.
[josh] sure, phil knew what he was getting into.
But jess didn't run for the boat when surrounded
By stingers, venom, and fangs.
-[phil] drop that machete and give me a high-five. -[jessica sighing in relief]
[josh] as for yacumama, all the eyewitnesses remain convinced
That there's a monster-sized serpent
Lurking in the remote recesses of the amazon rainforest.
The evidence phil and jess collected
Suggests that perhaps some unclassified species could be out there,
Still at large, and getting larger.
For more information on expedition x,
Head to discovery.Com/expeditionx.